August 7, 2012

Politicians and lobbyists seek exemption from political lobbying bill

When Holly Walker’s Lobbying Disclosure members bill was first drawn, most of the lobbyists in the country quickly insisted there wasn’t any need for such a bill, which suggests that there is an urgent need for this bill. Now Labour has decided that the lobbyists that lobby Labour are the good sort of lobbyists and should be exempt from disclosure. DPF transcribes an interview with Demosthenes David Shearer on the issue:

It is more of what I was just saying before umm ethan is that, you know I get you know trade unions or say salvation army or whatever they are standing up for rights of you know workers or rights of the poor or whatever, or whatever it is likely to be. Umm I don’t look to gain have had any sort of, I don’t look to have any material gain from that as a, as a as an MP–but there is what the the idea was is to try and capture the you know the various sort of business and corporate interests that might you know in a sense be trying to do sort of what you know they do offshore (not sure happens here?) is to buy buy politicans off”

Firstly, if you redraft the law so that there are exemptions for some bodies but exclude corporations, corporations will simply set up bodies that qualify for those exemptions and lobby through them. So this amendment would render the entire bill pointless.

Secondly, does Labour really think they need to conceal the fact that they’re lobbied by trade unions and social justice organisations? The fact that they want to hide their lobbying from public scrutiny is way more sinister than the actual lobbying. (At least, I hope it is.)

Like this:

LikeLoading...

Related

Isn’t the drafting of bills rendered pointless by loop-holes the principle policy of both National and Labour at the moment. It’s all about consistency, consistent incomptency and consistent double-standards admittedly, but nonetheless…

This also seems odd given that many unions actually have voting rights within the party (and candidates in the party), which is a fairly direct form of “lobbying” that wouldn’t need to be disclosed under the proposed law. I really don’t see the need for the ammendment from Labour’s point of view. It’s bewilderingly stupid.

@MikeM: Sure, but he could have simply said: “Sunlight is the best disinfectant, we’ll put it all out in the open and let the people of Aotearoa New Zealand decide.” Instead, it was all about lettting his mates continue to lobby without oversight.

Shear’s a bit confused, he’s supposed to make Labour look good, not the Greens.

I’d thought this was just another bit of stupidity from Chauvel that would quickly fade away. Shearer suppporting it when he doesn’t know the details and really doesn’t sound like he himself supports it is a complete disaster. And in the most incoherent manner possible and antagonising the Greens. Hard to get more of a complete fuckup.

It does sound as though the powers that be want to keep the cosy arrangement with the unions free from scrutiny.

And that’s the dynamic that will play out til the election. Labour will try and maintain they’re a party of principle inorder to compete with the Greens and they will fail because they aren’t (and the Greens are only because they haven’t been in power). David Carter on mining is another example.

I’ve never been a big fan of Cunliffe, I never liked the way he came across, but if he’s so universally disliked within the Labour caucus that must mean he’s disliked by most of Mallard, Little, Chauvel, Curran and Jones. Perhaps he’s not that bad after all. Why has there never been an anyone-but-Mallard faction?

who shall rid me of this …it is more of what I was just saying before umm …meddlesome priest…or whoever it is likely to be, umm I don’t look to gain have had any sort of, I don’t look to have any material gain from that but there is what the the idea was is to try and capture the you know the various sort …to do sort of what you know they do offshore (not sure happens here?)

Shearer’s comments make it fairly clear that he (and Labour?) hasn’t thought this through. One more reason to vote Green…..as it appears to be the ONLY larger party that has any integrity. Maori Party have sold out. Slippery Dunne never had any. Banks has shown what’s he’s made of in the integrity arena. Mana’s lone MP has integrity, but the Greens are more effective as an organisation. National? They are the party elected to raise wages…and set about pushing them down wherever possible. They haven’t registered significantly on the ‘Integ-o-meter’ since they deposed Bolger.